Tuning the Wire

Took the stairs down and hit the pavement to catch the midday sun. Two blocks over by the court fence, someone had left an uncoiled steel key ring hung loose over a discarded brass guitar tuning peg. I stepped right up. Planted my boots firm against the gritty asphalt, gripped that heavy brass peg with both fists, and slotted the threaded stem through the split steel ring. Hauled it upright and wedged the brass core tight between two intersecting diamonds of the chain-link wire. Gave the metal barrel one solid twist until it locked against the iron mesh. Plucked the fence strand once with my thumb. A deep, tight metallic hum rattled through the wire. Cadence laid down on the blacktop.